Social cognitive training among individuals with schizophrenia: Identifying responders to treatment

TL;DR

This study identifies individuals with schizophrenia who benefit from social cognitive training based on their symptom levels and treatment response.

Contribution

The study introduces reliable change indices to identify responders to social cognitive training in schizophrenia.

Findings

Six participants showed clinically meaningful improvement in theory of mind.

Responders had higher baseline psychotic symptoms but no other differences.

No consistent barriers to treatment gains were identified.

Abstract

In this follow-up study of a previous randomized controlled trial of targeted facial affect recognition training among individuals with schizophrenia, reliable change indices (RCIs) were employed to identify responders to treatment. The original study found improved theory of mind at 3-month follow-up. The current study included 15 participants who received the intervention and who completed all three assessment points in the original study. Six of them had RCIs over the cutoff (≥+1.64), indicating that they had a clinically meaningful and statistically reliable improvement in ToM. The responders had significantly higher psychotic symptom level at baseline, but no other group differences between responders and nonresponders were identified. The study found no support for suggested moderators of treatment effect of social cognitive training (sex, education). As no consistently replicated barriers to treatment gains have been identified, we suggest that social cognitive training, where available, should be offered to interested clients.

Figures